


Lean on me

by porcelainHeart



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/F, F/M, Humanstuck, M/M, Scourge Sisters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-24
Updated: 2014-09-02
Packaged: 2018-01-20 14:49:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 10,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1514399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/porcelainHeart/pseuds/porcelainHeart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When 16 year old Vriska Serket winds up in a therapy group for an accident that left her somewhat impaired, she's not quite sure what to do. And when Terezi Pyrope, recently blinded and broken hearted, shows up, she and Vriska quickly find a way to repair the hole in each other, and for the first time in their lives, truly have somebody to lean on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Break Down Walls

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is my very first work on the internet, ever. I am EXTREMELY shy about my writing, so just know that it took a TON of courage to get this up here. I really hope you like it, because i enjoyed writing it. I guess i took a different approach with this story, and im sorry if the POV gets confusing. Vriska is in 2nd person while Terezi is in third. Please comment suggestions and if you liked it! :) 
> 
> P.S. Yes I know that the first chapter is short compared to most other fics, but i like having a lot of little chapters. I will try and post chapters weekly, if people actually like this :P

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! This is my very first work on the internet, ever. I am EXTREMELY shy about my writing, so just know that it took a TON of courage to get this up here. I really hope you like it, because i enjoyed writing it. I guess i took a different approach with this story, and im sorry if the POV gets confusing. Vriska is in 2nd person while Terezi is in third. Please comment suggestions and if you liked it! :)
> 
> P.S. Yes I know that the first chapter is short compared to most other fics, but i like having a lot of little chapters. I will try and post chapters weekly, if people actually like this :P
> 
> [EDIT] This fic is no longer being updated, I apologize for anyone who read it.

 

 When you come to, the first thing that you notice is that you have a killer headache. You lie there, feeling like someone is banging on the inside of your skull with a hammer, like they are a plumber trying to earn one last paycheck. You groan as you peel open your eyes, and discover that the left one won’t open. You take a moment to scan your surroundings.

You discover that you are in a hospital.

Suddenly, pain comes rushing into you, on the left side of your body, and you’re screaming at the top of your lungs until several surprised nurses and a doctor come rushing into your room at break-neck speed. You start to whimper and cry and you struggle and someone is holding you down and a needle goes in somewhere and all is numbed. As the drug works its way through your system, you begin to relax. The doctor decides that this is a good opportunity to shoo all of the nurses out, and sit in a small chair on your right side. (He noticed).

“How are you feeling today?” The doctor asks you in a ridiculous tone of voice.

You give him the evilest glare you can possibly give someone with one eye.

The doctor stares back at you.

But it’s hard to have a staring contest when you only have one eye to stare with and you hurt and you are just so… _tired._

“I feel like shit and everything hurts.” You give in with a sigh of regret.

The doctor nods.

“Listen, do you just want to tell me why I’m in here?” You tilt your head to the side.  
The doctor pushes some hair out of his face and smiles. “I was just getting there, Miss Serket.”

You hate it when people call you Miss.

The doctor continues. “You have been unconscious for two days, I’m afraid. On Monday, you were admitted here after there was an explosion at your house, caused by some overheated wires and a malfunctioning circuit breaker.”

You wait for him to finish.

“You suffered severe damage to your upper body. As well as a concussion, you were in close enough contact to the blast that you lost an arm, as well as the vision in your left eye.”

Your jaw drops, and you turn your head really really really far to the left and sure enough, there is no arm. Only a nub.

You don’t remember this, and through your confusion you begin to cry. You’re angry, you’re upset, and you don’t have an arm and an eye so what the fuck are you supposed to do? Then in your moment of hideous self-pity, you hear the doctor pipe up with,

“At least you will be able to go back to school soon enough.”

He chose the worst fucking time to say that.

“WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT? IM FUCKING MISSING AN ARM AND IM BLIND IN ONE EYE AND I HURT EVERYWHERE! At least now I can say, ‘Yippee! At least I won’t be out of school too long!’ I am overjoyed.” You finish thrashing and your voice goes icy cold.

But the doctor just calmly proceeds to raise up your hospital bed to show you several prosthetic arms laid out at the end of the bed, and that shuts you up for a while.

 Two weeks later, you leave the hospital with only a mild concussion, a wicked looking metal arm, and a doctor’s note for a trauma, stress, and disability support group. And you guess that you fit the bill for all three.

When your mother opens the door to your room, because you can’t quite turn the knob yet, you see that the apparent blast site has been patched up. But not quite, for if you look closely, you can see the scorch marks, and the bits of paper and fabric from the desk and couch.

You glance over at your bed, and decide that you don’t really want to be in this war zone quite yet, so you head downstairs to get some actual real food.

As you pass by the counter top, you see the latest edition of US magazine and see your tenth grade yearbook photo plastered on the cover. Intrigued, you read the headline that boasts

“Vriska Serket, daughter of actress Aranea Serket, was in an accident that left the ‘Crazy in love, Killer,’ star fearing for her daughter’s life. Interviews with the family inside.”

You look away in disgust. All you did was be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and because you are some famous person’s kid, they spin a tragic life-on-the-line story. It’s sickening.

Maybe you aren’t so hungry after all.

“Vriska?” You hear your mother’s still _slightly_ Indian accented voice call from an open door. “Vriska, we must hurry up! Your doctor said that you must go to the group after you were released.”

You roll your eyes, and trudge slowly to the door, not caring that your shoes are scuffing the floor. You shut the door with a bang.

~~

 

Terezi Pyrope trudges down the street on her way home from the library, backpack stuffed with papers in preparation for the debate tournament that weekend.

Research is one of the few things she can do to take her mind off of her stupid, stupid broken heart.

“I hate him, I hate me, I hate him.” She mutters under her breath, and a few tears slowly creep down her cheeks, leaving solitary race tracks on her face.

She quickly wipes away her tears, straightens up, and glances around to see if anyone saw that. She has a notorious reputation for being unbreakable. “Steel-wall Pyrope!” Her friends would laughingly tease her, as she brutally found a way to suck the latest gossip out of anyone, no matter how uncomfortable the situation.

“Now is not the time for tears, not in public, not at home.” She chides herself before she regains her confident stride, making a huge effort to put Dave Strider out of her head.

She is about 15 minutes away from her apartment complex, before she stumbles upon the alleyway that is known to be shortcut into her part of town. A few yards in, she hears a whimpering sound, and stops in her tracks. Five feet in front of her, she sees a girl, and two men. One is busy groping the girl, while the other is just zipping up his pants, and bending down to rummage through the girl’s coat.

Terezi slowly draws out her phone, and types in 9-1-1, before scooting closer to the shadows.

In the process, she kicks a small rock on accident. It makes such a soft sound, but the men are both on high alert. The shift their attention towards her.

Terezi plasters herself against the wall, and can tell that one of the men is coming over to inspect the noise. He has something in his hand.

 _Don’t breathe. Aim for the balls and run,_ she thinks.

The moment he steps into her line of sight, she thrusts a well-aimed kick to his groin, but he catches her leg and knocks her to the ground. Straddling her, he pins her squirming body, and opens the can of spray-paint.

“WHAT DID YOU SEE?” The man yells, shaking the can for emphasis.

“N-nothing. I saw nothing.” Her voice is quivering and she has never been so afraid.

The steel wall is being torn down, piece by piece.

The man smiles a crooked-tooth smile, and points the paint at her face.

“This is to make sure that you saw nothing.”

He sprays Terezi with spray-paint. He sprays her in the eyes, and puts his foot over her mouth so she can’t scream.

Terezi is choking on her screams and there are tears flowing down her face. She can’t see _anything at all_.

She feels the man take his foot off, and she starts to scream, but he slaps her in the face, and kicks the side of her head, trying to knock her unconscious. She bites her lips and swallows the screams aching to burst out of her because it hurts _so, so much,_ like someone dousing you in an acid bath.

The men cautiously look around, and take off, slipping out of the alley as inconspicuously as they can. The girl, who was lying on the street, pulls herself up out of the ditch she was curled up in, yanks up her skirt, and crawls over to the thrashing, crying figure by the wall. She calmly picks up the girl’s phone and presses call.

“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?”

“I’m with a girl who was just attacked by two men. She had spray-paint sprayed in her eyes and she was kicked in the head twice. I don’t know her name, but I know that we are in the alley behind the old Ford manufacturer.”

The girl stays with Terezi until she hears approaching sirens. She hides at the end of the alley, hides out of sight.

The paramedics only find a girl with teal paint coating her eyes, curled up into a ball, clawing at her face. The find a dropped cell phone, and a backpack. But they do not find the caller.

And the moment the ambulance rushes away, sirens blazing, Kanaya Maryam dusts herself off, pull up her shirt, and slowly walks home.


	2. Broken Shards

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I've been procrastinating putting up this chapter. It's very short, but I am also giving you chapter 3 :) . I am amazed at the response to this! I've gotten so many reads in such a small amount of time! This is such a great experience. Enjoy chapter 2!

As you walk into the room, you instantly decide that group therapy is for losers. There doesn’t seem to be one kid in the room cool enough to talk to you. Most of them wear glasses _and_ braces, and one kid is in a wheel chair.

They all look like total dweebs and you can tell that the next hour and a half is going to be like hell.

“Well, hello! You must be our new addition! My name is Doctor Scratch, and you are?” A skinny, pasty faced man pipes up the moment the door closes.

You’re not sure if you want to give him the benefit of knowing who you are just quite yet, so you look around the room slowly with your one eye, a smarmy little grin plastered on your lips. When you feel that you have the group’s attention for just long enough, you announce, “Vriska Serket,” and plop yourself down into the one chair next to a guy wearing polka-dot pants, and some random kid.

“Welcome, Vriska! It will be great to get to know you better in the coming weeks.” The doctor prattles on. You make a face at him when his head is turned.

The short kid with messy hair and an oversized sweater tugs at your sleeve, and you whirl around and snap “What do you want!” at a kind-of-sort-of whisper.

The kid jumps a little in his seat, but continues like nothing happened. “Serket? Are you related to Aranea Serket?”

“Yeah, I’m her daughter. So what?”

“Oh man, I’m a huge fan of her! I loved her in ‘Stupidly in Love’ so much. That movie’s a classic.” He settles back in his chair.

You gape at him for a moment. “That movie is a rom-com. A total chick-flick.” You snicker just a little bit.

The kid looks over at you, and an intense glare settles on his face. “Did I fucking ask for your opinion? My last statement clearly was not a fucking question, asshole.” He turns his back to you.

Hmm, what a nice guy.

~~

For two weeks after the accident, everybody tiptoes around Terezi, as if she is a bomb set to explode. She won’t come out of her room, and mopes around until someone comes to help her with food or bath. Friends stop by to talk and attempt to cheer her up, but when you’ve lost the one person you care about and your vision all in the same time frame, it can be pretty damn hard to cheer someone up.

Finally, her older sister, Latula, is fed up with her sister’s self-pity, and barges into her room. Terezi looks up with a questioning look, and tilts her head, waiting for the person to speak.

“Terezi. I understand why you’re upset. You have that right. But you’ve only got so much time for self-pity. Bad shit happens every day, and I know this can be hard to get away from, but you have to start somewhere!” Latula puts her arm around her sister.

“Tula, please, I’m not in the mood. Just let me hate myself and curse the world for a little bit longer.” Terezi sighs and attempts to push the arm off.

They sit there, on the bed, in awkward silence for a few minutes until Latula pipes up.

“We are going to learn how to read braille. I am going to learn with you, so you won’t be alone.” She opens up the first of many books she had purchased recently, and slides it in front of her sister. Taking her hand, and placing it on the book, she moves it to the first bump at the top of the left page.

“Those are the nodes for A.”

Terezi Pyrope is openly crying. Sobs rack her whole body as she flings her arms around her surprised sister and squeezes her close. They stay there, in a quaking, quivering bundle, each one too afraid to let go, lest the other break apart into a million china shards, scattered across the floor.


	3. Crossed Paths

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 is a little bit longer than 2, so more reading material yay! I already explained in the first chapter that I really like having lots of little chapters. I expect this to be somewhere around 25-30 chapters when it is finished. Enjoy!

Your mother has steadily been forcing you to that horrible group therapy thing, but it’s a lot less horrible after you made some friends. There’s the short, oversized sweater kid who has anger management problems, the skinny computer nerd with split personality disorder, and the boy in the wheelchair, who happens to be paralyzed from the waist down.  It was hard at first, because making friends with a bunch of disabled kids was the last thing you wanted to do.

Until you realized that you were also a disabled kid, and making friends might not be so hard.

You get to learn everyone’s back stories. The kid in the polka-dot pants is a recovering addict who turned to selling and abusing drugs after his father left him and his mother, who didn’t have a job.

The cocky kid with the scarf and the purple streak in his hair has a bad stutter, and is at group to help recover from his depression and self-harm due to bullying.

Huh. It seems that you’ve had it the best out of all of them.

The group slowly expands to accept a small redheaded girl with schizophrenia, a girl with a bob and a cowlick who was caught drinking in the school bathroom, a tall girl who boldly states that she is lesbian after being raped, and a girl with long black hair who seems just fine until she reveals that she almost burned her house down.

What a lovely group of kid you seem to be hanging out with nowadays! Your mother would be so proud.

Group is ok, if not a little boring, because basically all you do is sit around and talk about who has it worse, or poke fun at each other, or listen to Doctor Scratch blabber on about how to be a better person even if you think you can’t.

Yeah, things could be worse.

About three months after you joined the group, a new girl walks in. She’s got these red opaque glasses on, and is leaning heavily on her older sister who walks her in. She has a long, red and white cane tapping the floor in her other hand.

Wait, she’s blind.

The girl turns to say goodbye, and then taps her way to the center, before addressing the circle.

“Hello. My name is Terezi Pyrope, I cannot see, and I would be extremely grateful if one of you could direct me to the nearest available chair.

Shit, the open chair just so happens to be next to you.

Your, short, ill-tempered friend Karkat (who has one of the strangest names you’ve ever heard of) is the one to jump out of his seat and guide her to you. She lifts up her cane and taps the seat, making sure it is the empty one, before she turns around and plops down.

You’re about to say something to her, but then bite your lips. However, this girl must have crazy good hearing, because she whips around to face you and has this little, all knowing smile plastered on her face.

“My hearing’s gotten a lot better after the accident. I guess that kind of makes up for my lack of sight.” She extends her hand. “Terezi Pyrope, and you are?”

You grip her hand with your metal one. You see her eyebrows shoot up in surprise, but she says nothing.

“Vriska Serket. Pleasure to meet you.”

~~

Serket. Terezi has to think for a while about where she’s heard the name Serket. Suddenly, it hits her.

“You’re Aranea Serket’s daughter, right? That actress who stars in a lot of rom-coms?” She blurts out, in a totally fan-girlish way. Terezi thinks back to when she and Dave were still together, and how she dragged him to see all of her movies.

_Don’t think about Dave, you idiot._

“SHHH!” Vriska whispers “Don’t say the R-word around here, because Karkat will never shut up!”

Terezi looks confused. “Rom-coms? What’s so bad about tha-.”

She senses a presence standing in front of her and Vriska. The figure questions in a surprisingly loud voice,

“Are we talking about rom-coms? Because I consider myself an expert on this genre of movi-.”

Vriska cuts him off.

“Karkat, why don’t you just sit your angry little butt down, because I am trying to have a decent conversation with the new girl, and I don’t need your snarky, curse-word riddled ass around to do it.” She sighs, and Terezi can’t help but let out a small giggle.

She hears the figure quickly march away, and she turns to Vriska.

“That seemed a little mean.” But she can’t stop smiling.

“Yeah, well I guess I’m just a bitter old hag stuck in the body of a 16 year old girl with a metal arm and an eyepatch.” She makes a soft sound, as if someone is tossing their hair.

Terezi and Vriska talk during the whole group, and she even takes her phone and programs her number into it, while declaring that Terezi is the “most normal person in that entire shit-storm of a group therapy,” before her mom shows up to charter her away. While Terezi waits for Latula to arrive with her car, she feels a tall, slim figure approach. She turns and stares at her.

The voice reveals itself as a girl, and she speaks with a proper sounding English accent.

“Hello, my name is Kanaya. I couldn’t help but notice that you were new to us today.” The girl shifts her weight to a nearby concrete pillar.

“Um, hi Kanaya. I’m Terezi.”

The girl continues in a cautious tone of voice.

“I also could not help but notice that you are blind. May I inquire as to how this happened?”

Now Terezi feels a little uncomfortable. Sure, she’s had plenty of people ask her how she lost her eyesight, but for some reason, this feels more personal.

“I-I was in an alley, and there was these two guys and a girl, and I think the girl was being raped. I tried to call the police but one of the guys found me and put spray-paint in my eyes.”

There is a small gasp to be heard from Kanaya.

“That was me,” her voice is shaky. “That girl was me. You saved me that night. I stayed with you until the ambulance came.”

Her words hit Terezi like a brick wall, but at that moment, she hears a car pull up and a door slam. She feels her sister gently tapping at her arm, and she lets herself be guided into the car. As Latula pulls away from the center, Terezi leans out the window, her head tilted back towards the girl who she saved that night, and who saved her in turn.


	4. Can Broken Glass be Funny?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha yeah this chapter is mostly Vriska. The coffee shop scene is going to be the next chapter! That part will probably be more Vriska as well :/ I'm sorry if this chapter isn't my strongest one, but I couldn't really come up with what to do for Terezi's part. Just decided to keep it short and (sweet??) I'm amazed at the response to this story. It's a pretty big deal for me, and when I see just how many people have read it, it makes me happy to know that people actually like this. Thank you so very much! :3

“STUPID. I HATE MYSELF. YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED!” You find yourself in a sudden fit of rage, pacing around your room, slamming your (fake) hand against the wall. You pick up a glass cup, inspecting it and holding it gingerly in your hand, before letting out a scream and hurling it against the wall.

You fall to the ground, sobbing out of the one eye that works, as you hear the cup make a somewhat-pleasant chiming sound as it smashes into ruins.

Your whole body is racked with sobs. You haven’t cried like this in years.

You hear plodding footsteps racing up the stairs, running down the hall, bursting into your room. Your mother. Not saying anything, she joins you on the floor.

She holds you so tenderly, as if you are a baby again. She doesn’t speak, just sits like that.

Maybe it’s been about ten minutes before she breaks away, and moves to clean up the mess of glass in your room. All you can hear is the occasional crunch of glass under her boots.

When she’s finished picking up the shards strewn everywhere, she sighs.

You don’t look up.

She sighs again, much more dramatically, and you glance up, your face red and puffy and gross.

“Vriska, snap out of it!” Aranea’s harsh words surprise you, and your jaw drops slightly.

“Excuse me?” You stammer.

Your mom crosses her arms and shifts her weight to one side. “That’s right. Look, it’s been almost two months.” She stares at you.

You’ve never heard your mother speak to you so sharply in your life. Ever. But she’s acting as if she knows what it’s like to be you right now, and you’re getting pretty pissed off.

“You don’t know what it’s like to be me.” You snap. “To feel like nobody likes you anymore, to feel like a freak, to feel _useless_!” You stand up, your fists clenching.

Aranea drops her arms and puts her hand on your shoulder, but you shrug it off and give her a cold glare instead.

“Vriska, you’ve got lots of friends. You’re so beautiful and talented. You are special! You are valuable. People look at you and they think, ‘Wow, I wish I could be more like her!’”

You blink slowly, and you drawl out sarcastically, “How bad must their lives be, if they have to envy a girl with one eye, one arm, and no future at all. Besides,” your voice drops to a whisper, “It’s just because you’re famous.”

This shocks your mother, but she quickly covers up the look of sadness on her face. “If you want to think that, be my guest. But you are worth something to me.”

With that, she turns around and shuts the door.

 

~~

At two in the afternoon, Terezi’s phone rings. She can hear her sister yelling at her to “answer the goddamn phone right now” from downstairs, so she messes around with the headphones she uses to listen to her phone calls, and presses the big button on the side.

“This is Terezi speaking. May I ask who I am speaking to?” She calmly responds with her usual conversation starter.

All that can be heard is a muffled, teary voice on the other end. “This is Vriska.”

Vriska, the girl who she’s been sitting and talking to at group for a couple weeks. The girl with the famous mother? What could she want from her?

Terezi thinks for a little before she responds.

“Vriska, it sounds as if you need someone to talk to. Meet me at the Starlight Café on Oak Wood Street. I presume that you know where that is?” Her tone becomes clipped and polished, sinking into the usual tone that she’s been trained to use during her experience in debate.

Vriska sniffles from the other end, before trying to cover it up with a bored-sounding tone. “Yeah, sure. Meet you there.”

The phone line goes dead, and Terezi yells down to her sister.

“Tula, I need you to stop making out with your boyfriend for a few minutes to drive me down to Starlight.”

A few seconds later, there are some shuffling sounds, and a rough whisper can be heard.

“I thought you said she was blind.”

Terezi grins to herself.

“My dear boy,” She pauses, letting the anticipation of her words build.

“I said I was blind. Not deaf.”

With that, she cackles to herself before exiting her room and somehow making her way down the stairs and out the door, where her sister is waiting to guide her into the car and pull out.


	5. Coffee Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am soooooo sorry that I didn't post this chapter on schedule, but my week has been crazy! I haven't had the time to sit down at the computer and type this chapter until today, so I hope you all enjoy it! Once again, it is mostly Vriska, but I think Terezi's part was my favorite to write, because it offers so much insight into her mind. Please enjoy my writing! :)
> 
> P.S. I'm sorry its so short

The bell dings as you walk into a quaint little café you’ve never been into before. From the outside, it’s kind of dumpy, but the inside smells amazing, like roast beef sandwiches and chocolaty mochas. You spy Terezi leaning up against a wall, fidgeting with a piece of her short auburn locks, her cane in one hand.

“Terezi!” You exclaim as you jog to meet her. She jolts around, her face contorted into a mixture of fear and surprise, but after processing your voice, she relaxes.

“Pick any table, and please assist me, if you would.”

You pick a table opposite from the food counter, next to a sunny window that lets you bask in the sun’s warm rays. You feel much better since your little episode, and ask Terezi what she would like to drink.

She hands you her wallet, tells you to grab a five, and order her a triple shot hazelnut macchiato.

When you’ve picked up the steaming hot drinks and sat down, the girl with the opaque red glasses across from you begins to drill you with questions in a rapid, neat order.

“You sounded very upset on the phone. Why is that?”

“What do you think has been the cause of these problems?”

“Has there been any major emotional stress on you lately?”

You answer each of her questions, feeling more exasperated with each answer. By the time she’s gotten to her eighth question, you cut her off.

“You’re pretty good at this. Do you tend to counsel­ for your friend’s emotional issues often?” Your tone is sarcastic, yet genuinely curious, and you rest your chin in your hands.

Terezi flashes you this big, full toothed grin of hers.

“I did debate for three years.”

You can’t keep a straight face anymore.

“Debate? I had no idea that I was dealing with such a nerd!”

She sips her drink thoughtfully, and waits for you to be done, but she’s grinning too, once you’re finished busting your gut laughing. After you’ve managed to stay quiet, she muses,

“I guess I am a nerd. But I’m a nerd who can kick your ass in a round of Congress.”

With that, you’re both doubled over, your bodies racked with giggles.

 

~~

Terezi hasn’t laughed like that in months. She’s missed the feeling of being truly happy, instead of being mopey or serious or political. Maybe the girl in front of her will be the one to truly fix things. She feels around on the table a bit, still smiling wide, and drinks some more of her heavily caffeinated drink.

She doesn’t know where she gets the idea, but she thinks that maybe if she tells someone about her old life, about her new problems, it will help her move on faster. There’s a moment of silence between her and Vriska, and Terezi takes a deep breath, and begins to talk.

“I guess I’ve had a hard time moving on too. I’m still so bitter about the whole thing.”

Vriska cocks her head.

“Why? It seems to me as if you’ve got not a care in the world. You’re just… tough. Like you’re made of steel.”

Terezi sighs.

“I guess that was part of the problem. People used to call me Steel-Wall Pyrope. I never let anyone in.” She lets her head drop.

The other girl crosses her arms.

“Here, my turn to play counselor. Tell me your troubles.”

Terezi nods slowly, before starting again.

“Like I said, I never let anyone in. I liked to do things the hard way, without any help. Just to prove that I could, that I was strong enough to do so. I had a boyfriend, Dave Strider. We were together for about 5 months, and I guess I was really controlling. I always insisted that I could do everything, and I guess that wasn’t what he wanted. He broke up with me, and after school, I was just reckless. I couldn’t let my feelings show, I had to be passive. I went to the library after school, to work on some debate cases, instead of just doing it at home. When I was walking to my house, I was feeling dangerous, and crazy. I made a bad choice to pass through an alley to get home, because I figured ‘what else can happen to me?’ And that’s when I got attacked, because I saw some guys raping this girl, and I tried to call the police but they discovered me.” She breathlessly finishes.

Vriska remains silent, so she adds one more thing, her voice a low, sad whisper.

“I think the worst thing in the world is waking up in a hospital, being blind and useless and broken hearted. There’s nothing worse than that.”­


	6. Chemistry Homework

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awww, all of you guys have been so sweet to me, and really supportive. I have gotten a lot of positive response with each chapter that I post, and it really makes my day. I love getting these emails that come with sweet comments. Everyone who has read this story keeps on inspiring me to write more! Since y'all have been so good to me, I figured I would give you a chapter early! It's just some spider breath action, because I haven't really developed their relationships yet. Please enjoy!
> 
> P.S. It's only Vriska for this part hope you don't mind :)
> 
> P.P.S It's also a super short chapter, not a main one

The bell rings, signaling the end of another boring school day. Glad to be free of this hell hole, you gather your books, methodically shove them into your backpack, and trudge out the door. It is 85 degrees outside, which means that summer is almost upon your city.

You really don’t want to walk home today.

With a sigh, you start the long walk back to your home. You’ve never set off this early, and usually have to walk the route alone.

However, today someone else trundles a few yards ahead of you. He seems to be going in the same direction as you. You spy a piece of paper float out of his bag, and you reach down to snatch it.

You’re actually quite desperate for company today, and this kid with his messy black hair isn’t a bad option. You’ve seen him on the soccer team, and he’s not bad looking.

You sprint up behind him, and tap his shoulders. He stiffens up and spins around, knocking into you.

You land on your butt, and start laughing. He extends a hand to help you up, and you graciously accept.

“Woah, you scared me there. I’m so sorry!” He has this sheepish grin that shows off his buckteeth. His bright blue eyes crinkle up at the corners in an apology.

_Damn, he’s kind of cute._

“No biggie.” You wave it aside, and extend your hand for a handshake.

“Vriska Serket. You?”

“John Egbert. Pleasure to meet you.”

After you hand him his chemistry homework, you both start walking, and you end up taking the path together. He makes you laugh a couple times, and he seems really sweet.

Not that you like sweet, or anything of the sort.

You can’t wait to tell Terezi during your daily phone calls about this John kid. He’s already extended an invitation for you to sit with him at lunch, because he’s seen you around, and it doesn’t seem as if you like being social.

That made you flush with embarrassment, but you quickly cover it up by joking that pirates need to learn to be alone. He chuckles a bit, before parting ways as you come to your street.

By the end of the week, you’ve walked home with him every day, and have been asked to go to the movies with him.

“What movie do you have in mind?”

“I was thinking that we could see that new movie with Nicholas Cage?” He awkwardly runs his fingers in his messy black hair.

You have to snort a little at how childish and vulnerable he is. But did he say something about Nic Cage?

“Wait, do you like Nicholas Cage too?” You wonder aloud.

He freezes up, and turn to you. “Um, yeah. He’s such a great actor! I loved him in Con-Air.”

You have a feeling that this is going to be one great movie date.


	7. Movie Date Confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys I'm so sorry! This week was my graduation week, so I didn't really find time to write! I was also a bit uninspired this week, and that's why this chapter comes so late. The chapters can only come as I come up with the idea for the next one, and it's kind of a slow process for me. I got some comments telling me that John and Vriska's relationship was moving too fast, so I explained it. I also provided more backstory for Vriska, and gave her a reason for being so bitchy and unattached.  
> Please enjoy my story! 
> 
> P.s. I kind of love getting feedback on how my plot/writing/overall story is doing! Don't be afraid to tell me something you would like to see improved in the story! My writing is not even close to perfect, and neither is this story, so I appreciate it when people are not afraid to tell me what I can work on.

John doesn't end up taking you to see that new Nicholas Cage movie. Instead, he takes you to see the newest Spider-Man movie, claiming to be the “world’s biggest Spider-Man nerd.” You inform him that he is incorrect, and that you worship the Marvel gods who created Spider-Man even more.

As you settle into your seats, a large bucket of popcorn balanced precariously on the arm rest between the two of you, you turn to face him.

“John, this is all so nice of you, but I met you earlier this week. Why make such a sudden move on me?” You blink at him, waiting for an answer.

John fidgets a little in his seat, and if it weren't so dark, you could swear he was blushing. He runs his fingers through his already messy hair.

“Uh, I guess I've always seen you around school, and seen you hanging out with your friends. I mean, you seemed pretty fun, and you aren’t bad looking…” He trails off, and now it’s your turn to blush.

“So what I mean to say is that I've wanted to ask you out for a while now. I hope that doesn’t come off as creepy though!” He finishes quickly.

You look a little dumbfounded. John had a crush on you? And for a long time? It doesn’t make much sense to you. You were seen as the cold-hearted bitch at your school who could ruin someone’s self-esteem faster than you could say “My hair is not ugly!” You were not nice. But then the movie starts up, and you give your attention to the screen.

Half-way through the film, you both reach into the popcorn bucket. His hand brushes up against your metal one, and although you can’t feel him do it, you sense him flinch up.

You wait to see what he will do.

He waits a couple seconds, before he picks up your hand and holds it gingerly.

You breathe a sigh of relief.

Three hours later, you both stumble out of the theater, animatedly talking about the plot line of the movie, and how the comics compare.

“They didn’t capture enough of Peter’s sassy attitude!” John argues.

You giggle a little, before piping up.

“I feel like he was sassy enough for both villains in that movie.”

John leads you back to the car, and asks where you want to go for dinner. You murmur that Chinese food would be awesome.

He drives all the way out to the best little Chinese restaurant known to the town, the Lucky Rabbit. You talk more about school, teachers, annoying students, and things that you like over a big bowl of Pad Tai.

He’s so sweet and funny. He likes most of the same things that you do. You’re both obsessed with Nicholas Cage and Spider-Man. He seems to be almost exactly like you!

When he starts talking about how his dad once baked nothing but lemon cake for days, and all they ate was cake for a week, and how one time he switched the sugar for salt, and what his dad was making was for a school PTA meeting, you can’t help but laugh along with him.

When he asks how your childhood was, you get a little silent.

“My dad passed away of prostate cancer when I was 11 years old. It was really hard for me and my mom, because we had just moved out to California so my mom could try and start her acting career. Mostly I moved from place to place because of my dad’s work, but we’ve been here ever since.”

You totally just killed the mood. You are such an idiot.

But then John speaks up.

“I know how you feel. My mom died in a car crash when I was 9. But you learn to move on, right? There’s no point in keeping all of you anger and sadness with you for your entire life, right?” He gives this sad little smile.

His words get to you, and you feel like you are about to cry. This is what you’ve been doing since the accident. You’re angry, and it’s prevented you from seeing all the wonderful things that your life still has to offer.

You start to cry as he pays for the meal, and you think for _sure_ that as he walks you back to the car, he’s going to drop you off at home and say that he would not like to see you again.

But he doesn’t, and that’s what surprises you. He slides into the car, drives you home, and stalls in your driveway.

“Vriska, I’ve had a really good time with you tonight. Do you… Would you want to do this again?”

“What? I-I mean of course I would! You’re so sweet and funny and accepting. John, honestly, I thought you were going to say that you wouldn’t want to take me out again, considering how I acted at dinner.”

He stares at you.

“Vriska Serket, I would be a fool to not want to take you out on a date because of your actions at dinner. We’ve all got choices on how to show our feelings, so who am I to judge yours?”

He walks you to the door, and waits until you’ve gotten inside safely before driving away.


	8. Ditching Really Does Make Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo, finally, a chapter relatively on schedule! I am really bad a keeping a schedule, but I am trying my hardest to stick to it! I'm sorry if this chapter was not my strongest one, but it was really important for me to write so that I can build up the next couple chapters.   
> You guys are awesome. Thank you so much for supporting my writing, and letting me further expand my horizons. I am truly grateful :)
> 
> P.s. I still like constructive comments! Let me know what you thought of this chapter!
> 
> Enjoy :D

Her phone beeps, and Terezi reaches down to her hip, fumbling a bit, and finally sliding it open. The automatic text-message reader starts up.

“Heyyyy TZ may be a little late for group, I’m still out with John! I’ll text you when I get back, okay?”

Terezi sighs. Vriska had been seeing John for about a month now, and one would think that that girl spent every waking moment with him! It was always John this, John that, John is sooo cute, you’ll never guess what John did! And frankly, She could care less.

 _Stop that. You should be happy for her._ Her inner voice pipes up, and Terezi instantly feels ashamed. She opens her phone again, and is about to start replying to Vriska, when her sister shouts from the front of the house for Terezi to get her little but over there because she has places to be and people to meet.

She strides over to the door, her cane tapping the polished wooden floor.

“And by people to meet, you mean your boyfriend. I hope you have fun possibly catching herpes.” She sneers a little.

 _Why does everyone in my life seem to have a romantic partner?_ She thinks to herself.

Once inside the car, Latula whips around to face her stony-faced sister.

“As a matter of fact, it’s a college admissions meeting. So no, I won’t be getting herpes anytime soon.” She sets the car in drive, and the entire ride to the facility is jerky and full of tension.

After Terezi finds her way into the room, a new dilemma has arisen. Where she is going to sit. Usually Vriska calls out for her, a seat safely reserved for the group’s two biggest gossipers. But without Vriska there to herd her over, she has no place to sit.

A tap on her elbow surprises her, and she spins around, fits raised in a fighting position. Her cane clatters to the floor.

“Woah, woah, woah, easy there. I didn’t mean to scare you!”

That sounds like… Karkat?

“Well, you did, and now it seems that I have dropped something quite important to me.” The girl crosses her arms, indicating that she expects her cane to be retrieved.

“Go get your own fucking cane! How was I supposed to anticipate that you would be stupid enough to drop it?” Karkat crosses his arms as well.

Terezi breaths a heavy sigh, bending down to find the cane, and fumbling around a bit before the boy speaks up again.

“It’s by your left foot.”

She breaths out as she grasps the metal staff, and stands up again. “Thank you, I guess. Now, I need a place to sit…”

“Well, that’s the reason I came over. I usually have an empty seat next to me. Maybe you can sit there, until the big bitch comes back?”

“Excuse me? Big bitch?”

He laughs a little. “Before you stopped by our little therapy group, Vriska was horrible to everyone. She made fun of that kid Tavros, because he was in a wheel chair, and used to trip Sollux on his way out of the room.” Karkat shrugs a little. “She wasn’t all sunshine and sugar cookies.”

She stands still for a little while and nods her head. Of course she had known that Vriska had a mean streak without someone there to make her calmer. Determined to change the subject, she speaks up.

“You know, I just realized that most of us have really strange names.”

Karkat sighs, and leads Terezi to the two chairs. He is a _lot_ shorter than her. Once seated, he begins to talk.

“I don’t know about everyone else, but my parents were a little whack. I think my dad was on drugs when he named me. Maybe he was on drugs when he named my older brother, Kankri? Who knows? I mean, you have got to be high if you’re going to name a kid that, right? All I know was that my name brought me years of teasing when I was younger. The most popular one was Kitty-cat. Ugh.” He shudders at the memory.

Terezi flashes one of her signature grins. “I hope you don’t mind one more nick-name, Karkles.” She doubles over laughing, while Karkat fumes.

Vriska never shows up to group, but Terezi has fun sitting with Karkat. She gets to know his little group that consists of recovering addict Gamzee,

“I changed my name when I joined the circus.”

Split personality Sollux, who happens to have a slight lisp,

“I prefer everything in twos,”

And Sollux’s girlfriend, schizophrenic Aradia.

“I can hear the voices, but it’s gotten better.”

She talks throughout group, getting to know people that she’d never even talked to before. After the mandatory “sharing of feelings” that Doctor Scratch saves for the end of group, everyone shuffles around outside until their parents arrive.

Karkat asks for her phone, and programs his number into it. Terezi also gets everyone else in the group’s phone number as well. By the time her mother arrives, she practically has to drag her daughter away from her group of new found friends.

Terezi leaves with a phone full of new information, and a soaring heart.


	9. Blind Girl Bowling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took really long because I was really uninspired this week. But I got it back! Thank you lazy Sundays!! I would also like to point out that in chapter 3, the girl who had been caught drinking in the bathroom was described as having "a pixie cut with bangs." I made a mistake. That was supposed to be Roxy. This was in the very early stages of the story, so I didn't really have as much of a plan for it, compared to my plans for it at the current moment. I have fixed the error so Roxy is now described to have her regular haircut. Also, I gave Eridan a stutter, and so I guess I tried to keep it true to his quirk! 
> 
> Enjoy this chapter!! :3

Three days after group, Terezi gets two text messages. They beep on her phone only a minute apart. Her phone announces that “You have a message from Veriskah Serket. You have a message from Karkat Vantas,” in its automated tone. She has to think for a little while before finding the button on her phone to unlock it.

“Open message from Karkat.” Terezi sighs, finding her way to the couch and settling down.”

The phone goes to work.

“Hey Terezi, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out with me and a couple other people from group today? We are going bowling… not that you have to bowl, I mean, that might be hard for you.

SHIT!!! Ignore that last part. Not the bowling part though. That’s still on…”

The phone goes silent, and Terezi sits there cackling on the sofa for a good 3 minutes before calming down.

“Open message from Vriska.”

“Heeeeeeeey girl, I was wondering if you wanted to hang with me today, _just_ you and me. Get some lunch, maybe shop around?”

The choice is simple. Terezi responds to Vriska first.

“Sorry girl, I’ve already got plans!”

Then to Karkat.

“Sure! But my sister is mad at me, so pick me up at this address…”

 

~~

You angrily pace your room. Terezi has _never_ turned you down. You didn’t even think she had other friends who wanted to hang out with her.

Maybe this is because you didn’t go to group a couple days ago?

 

~~

The doorbell rings, and she slyly taps her way to the front door, only bumping into the dining room table a few times. She gropes around for the manual lock, flips it, and flings the door open.

“Karkat? Is that you?”

Just to poke some fun at him, Terezi picks up her cane and whacks the air above his head a couple times, before setting it down with a grin.

“Yeah, yeah, make short jokes about the short kid. Perfectly fine” The scowl on his face is apparent in his voice. “But because I’m closer to the ground, it’s easier to do this:”

He promptly tazes her in the sides, and she squeals before whacking him away.

A voice rings out in the distance, from what Terezi presumes is the car.

“Karkat! You’ll scare her off before w-w-we can hav-ve our fun!”

Another voice rings out.

“Can we jutht hurry it up, I’m thtarving.”

There is a loud thump to be heard, and a small whimper.

“OW! Aradia, why’d you do that? That hurts!”

“Because you know I don’t like you being rude!”

One last voice pipes up.

“Guys, stop making out in the car! That’s disgusting.”

Terezi is grinning and Karkat is fuming before he yells at Roxy to “CAN IT!” Grabbing her hand, he yanks her toward the car, opens the door, and heads up to the driver’s seat. She enters the car not a moment too soon, because once the door closes, Karkat steps on the gas.

Bowling is a lot of fun. Everyone does poorly, and Terezi sits there, amused, arguing for one side or the other when people get into fights over who messed who up, or who had a rigged ball, and so on. But the most interesting squabble by far is when Roxy takes Eridan’s scarf.

“H-hey! Giv-ve me my scarf back!”

“Not a chance, honey.” She then proceeds to blow a raspberry at him.

He runs at her, trying to get the scarf off of her neck, while she mock-punches him in the shoulder, and Kanaya, who showed up later with her girlfriend, Rose, runs to separate the two.

Terezi strides over to the fight, gives them a pointed look, and orders them to sit.

They sit.

“Now Roxy, you took Eridan’s scarf, correct?”

Eridan leans over to whisper to Roxy just then.

“Man, she’s w-working her creepy lawyer voodoo magic or something. Just, just keep the fuckin scarf, alright?”

Roxy whispers back a nervous yes, and everyone goes back to bowling.

A few minutes later, a figure walks over to the pole on which Terezi is leaning on. She diverts her attention away from the brewing fight between Aradia and Rose, and faces the form.

“Do you want to bowl?” Karkat’s permanently angry sounding voice rings out.

“I would, but alas, I cannot. Do you see what the problem is, because I sure don’t.” She doesn’t crack a smile the whole time, and waits for Karkat to get the joke.

“Haha, hilarious, but anyways, maybe I could help you?”

She’s slightly touched by this.

“Sure thing, Karkles.” Terezi flashes her signature grin.

After Karkat puts the ball in her hands, he lines her up with the lane.

“Now, just kind of swing back, and release it after you bring it back forwards. That should give you the right angle.”

He grunts and steps away, as you lick your lips, bring the ball back, and swing it forward. All that can be heard a few seconds later is the crashing of pins, and absolute silence, for the first time in your little group.

Dead silent.

“What did I hit?” Terezi inquires.

Sollux swallows loudly.

“You got a strike.”

Suddenly, everyone in your group goes crazy, screaming and laughing and all around chaos. Eridan is attempting to high-five you, and Rose is doubled over in laughing tears, yelling “THE BLIND GIRL GOT A STRIKE!” over and over again. Karkat is mumbling to himself “How did she get a better shot than the rest of us? She can’t even see!” while you can hear the faint sounds of Roxy running up and down the aisle, smacking chairs with her new scarf, cheering.

When the noise dies down, the manager slips down, and kindly asks the entire group to leave the bowling alley. But nobody really cares. After everyone is centered outside, Kanaya sighs loudly.

“What is it, Kan?” Terezi manages to squeak out.

“I owe Roxy twenty bucks now.”

That sends everyone into fits of laughter, as they all somehow manage to pile up into Karkat’s car, and drive away for food.

When they pull up to Terezi’s house, everyone walks out of the car to say goodbye at her door, and run away the moment Latula opens the door for her. In a matter of minutes, Terezi is ready for bed.

She forgets to turn her phone off of vibrate, and when she plugs it in, there is no announcement notifying her about the three missed calls from Vriska.

She goes to sleep, exhausted, but happier than she’s been in a long time, and for once, excited about what the world has in store for her tomorrow.


	10. A Bump in the Road

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops. I completely forgot to update this. I had the (short) chapter all written out, and I couldn't find time. And when I did have the time it didn't really cross my mind. I've had a busy week!! This week, I will try to have as many short chapters as I can! The past few chapters have been pretty long, so I'm sorry for abruptly giving you short chapters. Also, Lean on Me may have less chapters than I promised. It's moving faster than I planned, so I'm shooting for 25 at the most. Sorry. Please don't hate me. I'm also pretty much abandoning any promise that I will update on Thursdays. Now, I'm just going to publish the chapters as they come to me. Apologies are being mailed. Thank you for sticking with my lazy, crazy brain!   
> P.s. Enjoy this short chapter

_Why would she not accept your invitation?_

This is the one sentence constantly replaying over and over and over again inside your head.

She had never turned you down. Why would she do it now? For months Terezi had been your rock, dependent on your summoning call. A faithful friend.

Not like she really had much of a choice. They array of options doesn’t seem to overwhelm you.

You sigh. She’s not your property. It’s just that you try to make an effort to talk with her after being with john for so long. Maybe Terezi’s just bitter over the fact that you found someone else to divert your attention to. Maybe it’s because of that one day when you opted to skip group in lieu of watching John’s cousin Jake play his soccer game. Maybe, maybe, maybe.

But even though you may have ignored her, it didn’t give her the right to be mad! So what if you want to spend time with your new found boyfriend?

It’s not your fault that she can’t seem to find love.

Suddenly your cellphone rings. By coincidence, it’s Terezi. You answer it and await her explanation with silence.

“Hey.” She rasps.

“What’s the deal with you?” You blurt out, unable to take the tension between the two of you.

“What do you mean? The fact that I didn’t hang out with you because I _actually have other friends?_ That you expected me to cave to your every wish and whim, even after you barely make contact with me for weeks? I’m shocked, Vriska Serket. I really expected more from you. I really did.” The girl on the other end snaps.

Stammering, and then silence. That’s all that can escape your lips. And you really have nothing to say to that because it’s all true.

“God, I didn’t know what I was doing to you. I… I’m sorry. That’s all I can really say to you.” Your voice drops to a meek tone, and your head bows in shame, even though she’s on the other side of the phone. And blind.

Terezi sniffs. “And in case you were wondering, I had a ton of fun last night. I went bowling, but you would have known that if you bothered to ask.”

Attempting to make amends, you ask.

She spills. You feel like she wanted to talk to you more than you realize it. And like that, a weight seems to be lifted from your chest, one that you didn’t even know was there. It sounds like her night was wild, and fun, and better than any old trip to the mall.

Or better than anything you could give her at the moment.


	11. Evolution of Pyrope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to do something different with the approach to this chapter. I hope you like it! it was fun to write :) . I have got most of my writing groove back, but unfortunately there will be only one more chapter before I have to go on hiatus for three weeks while I'm at camp. I made this chapter longer, so hopefully it does not disappoint!  
> Bon chance!   
> Also Enjoy!

For some reason, Terezi can’t stop thinking about her ex-boyfriend.

Dave Strider had always been a nice boy. Nothing more than that. Her mother and Dave’s older brother had worked together. They introduced their youngest wards to each other during the summer between the 6th grade and the 7th.

Dave Strider was cool. There was really no denying it. He was everything she wanted to be. He always had the right thing to say. He never panicked. He constantly kept his cool. And best of all, he was new. Terezi was the first kid his age he had met.

She had insisted that they hang out every day that week, playing shitty video games in his basement, having rap battles, having Terezi fail at rap battles, and going swimming in the community pool.

But once school started, everyone wanted to know the cool new kid who always wore his sunglasses, even inside, and had a cool older brother who collected samurai swords.

They didn’t hang out as much. She felt abandoned, at the bottom, while he slowly rose to the top.

“Hey Dave, want to come over and work on that awful math packet we got today? I know I’m going to need some help!”

“Sorry TZ, I can’t. I already told so-and-so that I would go down to the skate park today.”

“Hey Dave, I could really use your help with setting up with the decorations for Latula’s birthday!”

“I’m sorry, I can’t. I’m heading over to so-and-so’s place right now. But I’ll be at the party for sure!”

Sorry, sorry, sorry.

She liked him. There it was. Terezi Pyrope liked Dave Strider. It was that simple! But it was as if he was oblivious! He was always busy when she tried to hang out, or just not interested when they did.

But when she accidentally walked in on Dave having a make-out session with Jane in the 8th grade, right before the end of the year, it was decided.

It was time for a change.

That summer, Terezi chopped off almost all of her hair. She cut it to her shoulders. She dyed it a sultry, glossy brunette, a major change from her orange curls. She swapped her glasses for contacts, learned how to put on makeup, and bought some “cool” clothes.

On the first day of freshman year, Terezi’s hair was perfectly straight, her makeup was fantastic, and her outfit was carefully selected. When she walked into her new high school, she could feel the boys (and some of the girls) staring.

Apparently Dave had forgotten about Jane, and his year of ignoring his closest friend.

Or maybe it was because Terezi looked like one of the hottest girls in school.

But he had sat down next to her during lunch, along with her friends, and talked the entire time, as if making up for lost time. And after lunch was done, but before the bell rang for 5th period, he cornered her in the hallway.

“So, uh, I feel like an asshole. I’m really sorry about last year. I am.”

Terezi had crossed her arms, and scowled a bit.

“I’m sure that’s the _real_ reason why you came to talk to me. Not because my ass looks good in these shorts. Totally because you feel like a jerk.”

But she _had_ to forgive him. This was what she wanted, right?

And then Dave uttered the words that made her melt.

“You look really good, but I kind of miss your curly hair.”

A few dates later, and Terezi had herself a boyfriend. And Dave Strider was everything she had hoped to be. He hadn't been disgusted when he asked her why she had changed her whole appearance and she had fessed up to walking in on his Jane kiss in 8th grade. He held her hand. He was a nice boy. And cool.

She was still on the debate team.

But things sort of soured once sophomore year started. She was overly attatched, terrified that her romantic interest of three years would find somebody better than her. Whenever he tried to help her out with a problem, she insisted that she fix it herself.

Terezi Pyrope hated needing help. That made her feel weak, and weak was one thing she was not allowed to feel.

When he confronted her on that Friday afternoon, saying that the relationship was kind of dead, and that he just didn’t feel the same way about her anymore, she yelled.

“Is this some kind of sick joke? Do you think this is funny?”

Then she bargained.

“But I love you, Dave! I really really do!”

Then she begged.

“Please don’t do this. I need you. Please.”

But it hadn’t been enough to stop him from shaking his head and leaving.

“Sorry Terezi. Maybe we can hang out some time after all this dies down.”

Dave Strider, the only person she had cared about, was gone.

And then she _had_ to go down that alley. Had to be a good citizen and call the police. Had to knock that pebble over.

Had to be blind.

Now she needed someone every day. And she felt weak.

She hated feeling weak.

When Vriska came along, it was nice to _finally, finally_ have someone need her for a change.

Then Vriska found John and it was back to square one.

But now Vriska knew that she was upset, and everything could go back to normal. She could stop being useless, and start acting like a friend, even if she was a bad one at times.

_I can’t lose her friendship. I can’t._

So while Vriska waits on the other end of the phone, after Terezi just spilled the details of her crazy night to the one person who matters at this point in time, she makes up her mind.

“Hey, Vris?”

“Mhm?”

“Meet me at the mall in five. At Diverse Derse. That clothing store on the first level.”

 A pause, and then words.

“You got it, sister.”


	12. Sew or Split the Seams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone, I am so so sorry that I never updated or said anything!! I was really busy this summer, and when I wanted to update, my internet was down :( . This chapter is really short, because A) I left off at kind of an awkward place for me and i procrastinated writing, and B) I'm kind of losing interest in this fandom, because I haven't found anything to inspire me lately. Also, I recently started high-school, which is a bit overwhelming and scary, and I have been focusing on art lately. Don't worry, I'm for sure going to finish this fic if it kills me, but it might take some time. And thank you for 1,000 reads!!! :o I was not expecting that at all, and it's a pleasant surprise for me when I open up AO3 :D. I'll try to update soon, so once again thank you for being patient!! I love you <3

“How do I look?” Terezi spins around, and you smile a bit to yourself.

“Fantastic. I promise that I would not put you in some kind of old-lady getup!” You smile to yourself, before going back to Terezi.

“But are you surrrrrrrrrrreeeee?” She drags out, before looking up and down, then sighing out of frustration because she can’t see.

“I am 800 percent positive on this. Why can’t you just trust me?”

Terezi purses her lips before obediently nodding. She’s wearing a soft teal dress with red lace running along the bust and edges. It doesn’t sound like a good combination, but fits her surprisingly well. A pair of shiny black flats adorn her feet, and you think to yourself that it’s a good pick on your part.

She puts her regular clothes on, pats around for the dress, then her cane, and heads up to the cash register.

“My credit card is in my wallet, somewhere at the bottom of this purse.” She instructs you. You dig around before triumphantly holding up the wallet, and proceed to make the transaction. You place the signing pen in Terezi’s hand, and guide her to the screen, where she diligently signs TP with a flourish.

It ends up looking like T-IO, but you don’t say anything, because she wouldn’t care at all.

As you exit the tiny shop into the busy mall, and plop down on a bench, you turn to your friend.

“I still can’t believe that you’re going on a date with… Karkat.” You drawl out the last word with disapproval on your tongue.

Terezi lightly smacks your arm, and grins.

“Hey! He’s honestly not that bad when you get to know him. Kind of stubborn, but sweet. And we like a lot of the same things. Plus he smells really good most of the time.” She lets out a laugh. “I guess… I guess it’s kind of like what you and John have. Simple. Kind. And you both don’t care what everyone else is thinking. The tall blind girl, and the short angry guy. We must make quite the pair.”

You’re silent for a bit, before you speak up.

“Whatever the case, don’t do anything weird in front of his parents. And try not to knock over your cup!” You giggle a little, and she giggles too.

“Anyways, good luck! Tula’s helping you out with your makeup, right?”

She nods.

“Knock ‘em dead, alright?” You nudge her shoulder.

A few minutes later, Terezi’s sister is there to take the reins. But you don’t leave immediately. Instead, you think about what this means for your friendship, forged in a flame of desperation, and tenderly holding on to understanding.

 This will either force you closer together, or send the seams tumbling apart.


End file.
